Where We See Tragedy, God Sees Possibility . . .Few American epics of tragedy, intrigue, friendship, and faith will entertain and challenge the soul like the narrative inspired by the events in the real life of David Ring--a boy literally born dead who survives with sobering consequences. Living with the harsh realities of cerebral palsy, Ring faces impossible odds yet stumbles into an improbable life of inspiration and influence in the small, unassuming town of Li...

In 1953, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, a baby boy was born--dead. The attending physician set his little body aside and tended to his mother for eighteen minutes. Now, more than sixty years later, that boy leads an internationally known ministry that encourages hundreds of thousands every year. The Boy Born Dead tells his incredible story from the perspective of his best friend, David Wideman.As a teenager in the small town of Liberty, Missouri, in the late 1960s, David Ring grew up with the cha...

The brilliant novel in the New York Times bestselling series by Louise Penny, one of the most acclaimed crime writers of our timeNo outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks ...

How the Light Gets In is the ninth Chief Inspector Gamache Novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny.*"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." —*Leonard CohenChristmas is approaching, and in Québec it's a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive season for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Most o...

The New York Times columnist recounts growing up in rural Louisiana in this "brave and powerful memoir" of poverty, abuse, sexuality, and perseverance ( Publishers Weekly).Charles M. Blow's mother was a fiercely driven woman with five sons, brass knuckles in her glove box, and a job plucking poultry at a factory near their segregated Louisiana town, where slavery's legacy felt close. When her philandering husband finally pushed her over the edge, s...

The best way to make yourself feel great? Do a random act of kindness for someone! These 101 stories will make you smile and get you excited about what you can do, too.Make miracles happen for yourself and others. It’s easy. Just think outside the box and look around. There are so many ways that you can help—and it turns out the biggest beneficiary may be you! Scientific studies have shown that “doing good” is not only good for the recipient of the good deed, but a...

“Nothing short of sublime, and the territory [Mans'] explores...couldn’t be more necessary.”—VogueFrom spoken word poet Jasmine Mans comes an unforgettable poetry collection about race, feminism, and queer identity.With echoes of Gwendolyn Brooks and Sonia Sanchez, Mans writes to call herself—and us—home. Each poem explores what it means to be a daughter of Newark, and America—and the painful, joyous path to adulthood as a young, queer Black woman....

Couldn’t we all use a good laugh?Whether you’re running full-speed-ahead or disappointed that it’s Monday (again), you’ll find joy in these pages where women—and a few men—share their hilarious stories and insights on daily life. Pets, potlucks, husbands, hot flashes, typos, tykes...This world can be a funny place, and these stories are bound to prove it. Read a chapter to brighten your morning, or catch a few words to make you smile before bed. There’s never a bad time for a good ...

Greg Jones has had a horrible fall. His wife of only two years has been in Seattle nearly non-stop, while he's been alone in Chedwick. A couple of quick trips between them is all he's seen her. Not what he signed up for, he's acted like an ass pouting about her being gone. Time to man up and make some changes.Sandy has been working non-stop preparing for the newest release of her video game. She's exhausted and on the East coast in a media tour promoting it. She's planning a tiny r...

An inspiring memoir of one man’s transformation from a delinquent, drug-dealing dropout to an award-winning Harvard educator through literature and debate—all by the age of twenty-seven.Brandon P. Fleming grew up in an abusive home and was shuffled through school, his passing grades a nod to his skill on the basketball court, not his presence in the classroom. He turned to the streets and drug deals by fourteen, saved only by the dream of basketball stardom.

As a middle child raised middle class and stuck out in the middle of Louisiana, hilarious writer and actress Sarah Thyre often found her in–between existence far less than desirable. Even from a young age, Sarah found ways of shirking her own hated identity — whether by stealing someone else's or lying about her own. She changed her name, claimed to be a great outdoorsman, and solicited donations for her favorite charity — which turned out to be, in fact, her. In addition, Sarah lived thro...

When Greg Johnson was interviewing for a job at a mental health center his interview was interrupted by a police officer with a naked woman in tow. I was looking for an adventure, he says, and this looked like it.In A Very Famous Social Worker the author recounts with insight and humor his experiences as a rookie social worker in West Virginias Greenbrier Valley. His unlikely parade of clients include a preacher whose wildly rebellious children are threatening to bring dow...